Category Archives: the state we’re in

Ex-Police Constable Simon Harwood, was belatedly sacked by the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) yesterday with his full pension and benefits. His conduct directly led to the death of an innocent member of the public.

How the MPS can considers itself competent and satisfied with such a trivial gesture so many years too late is shameful. To attempt to buy-off the family of the innocent member of the public that was prey to Harwood’s clinical disturbing degree of rage is shameful.

How was Harwood able to lie and be re-employed by the police and his record of previous violent outbursts against innocent people and Harwood’s attempts to fabricate innocent people should have required immediate dismissal without any pension rights. How was Harwood able to benefit from sick leave and benefits while awaiting trial and the inquest should he repay the State, or victim’s family?

Why has this been allowed to take place by the MPS is shameful and unacceptable?

Hopefully, Victim Support will publicly campaign for the support of the dead man’s family (Mr Ian Tomlinson). Mr Tomlinson was an innocent victim of violent crime and as such a miscarriage of justice is being allowed to take place. (See YouTube video footage)

Again, the UK statutory bodies and central government departments have nothing to be proud about and have failed to win public confidence.

Too often innocent crime victims families in the UK are denied justice. For a change, justice was working in Manchester thanks to the combined quality diligence of police and multi-partnership agencies that ensured a killer received thirty-year prison sentence at Manchester Crown Court, England.

Mr Anuj Bidve, was a gifted graduate student with a professional career ahead of him. Kiaran Stapleton from a dysfunctional family background and diagnosis of anti-social personality disorder. The victim had already achieved so much, and the killer, had never achieved anything. The murder was ‘motiveless’.

The remorseless performance in court Stapleton shows why society needs to be protected from such psychopathic individuals. In a country reeling from oppressive and chaotic government it is good to know justice can still work in the UK. Well done to all the multi-partnerships teams in Manchester that forged the progress from investigation to sentencing!

Prime Minister Cameron continues to reign down his verbal and oppressive, ill-conceived policies of contempt and what appears to be like a war against British people, even the Governor of the Bank of England, Sir Mervyn King has spoken out. Quoted in the London Evening Standard recently.

Mervyn King described the behaviour of British banks as “ shoddy and deceitful ” demanding a real change in the banking industry and yet our government fails to listen to its own experts! Mervyn King criticized the “ excessive levels of compensation, shoddy treatment of customers and deception manipulation of one of the most important rates ” (for small business).

The banks, including Barclays have continued to fail to understand or care about the struggle of the people of Britain, as has been the case of the government. Britain needs well-regulated banks and a competent government. The mire we are in has been condoned and allowed to continue by government yet they refuse to call an election. This government has never shown the same latitude towards public services and the vulnerable. Imagine if you will a £500 million tax avoidance bill, or giving oneself a giant and inflated pay package for ‘ tax equalization’; imagination how government agencies would you?

And yet, still, the British people are routinely punished, and patronized by a government that has failed to deal with these out of control institutions that continue to cause so much misery for so many. This government has repeatedly shown beyond its pomposity it has nothing of value to offer its people and must go. It is also worrying that the collective mood of the British people is so seemingly depressed it does not feel motivated to even demonstrate on the streets its outrage and disapproval against this government; this is worrying! A deflated, brow beaten, weary, bullied nation is an easy to manipulate and control.

Olympic, Delusional Policy Follies of UK Government continue to batter the struggling people and quality of the lives of the increasing majority and the increasing population of the vulnerable.

When you visit the Olympic follies look around at the holes in the roads, trains stuck in tunnels, look at the faces of the British people. Our police and emergency services have been hugely cutback in staff and resources, as has military spending. To keep you feeling safe we’ve got ground to air missiles encircling the city in the event of an attack of course in a thirty-square mile city they may just wipe-out several Londoners! Even the sun cannot be bothered to come this summer!!

This government has shown Olympic posturing and grandeur in its consistently unsuccessful policies especially those attacking public services. It has failed to show good government or good policy. This government has won gold for Olympic delusional sham while protecting the banking elite from prosecution and its own involvement in dealing with the elite of the Murdoch empire.

Go for it Cameron! Starve the poor, release the dangerously violent and imprison the students, indulge the folly and greed of the banking elite! Beijing – no Britain.

So, when exactly are the people of the UK going to say to this government – go? Why are the people of the UK so unresponsive to this oppressive, grubby, cynical government and not confidently demonstrating to demand their removal?

Is it because we are so demoralized, or happy to hide in our IPads with free internet avoiding the squalor and misery that is reality for a growing population? Are we cozy and collude with being bullied, trampled over and patronized by an ineffectual government? Is it the dread of Labour being unelectable and off the public radar? This grubby government has failed regardless of its veneer of supremacy to show social democracy and improve access to housing, health and education for its people.

There was a time in the UK when people had the sense of common good, a shared self-respect and expectation for an elected government to administer and conduct itself for the real benefit of the people of UK. We demonstrated and lobbied to forge change, so what has happened to the people of the UK that leaves us so passive and compliant? Is this the way we want things to be for the rest of our lives?

At last, the Met Police (MPS – UK) responded to my complaint against their decision under FoIA and the answer …

At last, the Met Police (MPS – UK) responded to my complaint against their decision under the FoIA. Their answer is … the answer to access for research data regarding an arson attack claiming some thirteen murdered lives in 1994 is … … no.

Lots, lots, lots, lots of reasons and words, and even repeatedly copying my research letter with my full name and date of birth; great, so much for privacy!

It’s all such a disappointing, excessive waste of taxpayers and police service time. My apologies to the army of champion law enforcement officers but sadly the volume of obstructive and mediocrity among decision-makers in the MPS stifles overshadows the real best practice out there. And all so predictable and it’s taken nearly six months!

Well, think I’m going to make a documentary instead on the subject. The subject is of genuine public interest and the incident affected dozens and there is a need to correct so much misinformation ‘out there’ in cyber-world about this horrific event; it is a genuine worthwhile piece of work. There may also be many people affected that do wish to have a forum to state their views and experiences and not be silenced!

At last, the Met Police (MPS) responded to my request for an explanation …

At last, the Met Police (MPS) responded to my request for an explanation to provide specific reasons why an Exemption under the FoIA is being used for my research. Sadly, the reply did not provide an answer and made an excuse they replied to another email so I wrote again requesting specific reasons. This time I received a quick retort with joined-up words and sentences. It stated they don’t have to give a response to my complaint as they have fifty days with twenty days to go.

Well there’s one in the eye for proactive, open public service and best practise working! It’ll be six months and counting next week since I applied to undertake research.

How on earth can the MPS expect to secure the respect of the public when they refuse to clean-up their own backyard it simply isn’t good enough! In the London Evening Standard (28 May 2012) the headline said ‘the Met tries the personal touch to repair public trust’ after a survey asking victims of crime how they were treated by the police and The Met (MPS) came bottom of the league of large city police forces. Assistant Commissioner Simon Byrne was quoted “ We are trying to change the whole emphasis of what we do.” It is all so grubby and unconvincing for public service and decent law enforcement officers too!

As for reasons for blocking access for my research under Exemptions of the FoIA, well I can make-up my own for all it matters. As the timeless piece of drama Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John La Carré so accurately summed-up:

“Reason as logic or as motive, or reason as a way of life?

They don’t have to give me reasons. I can write my own damn reasons and that is not the same as the half-baked tolerance that comes from no longer caring.”

Still no response or courtesy email from the MPS, nothing! Such a lack of basic courtesy and administration.

If the MPS rejects my research request about a murder case dating back to 1994, it should know the reasons why they rejected my request. When exercising my obvious right to complain about the time wasted and request the specific reasons for the MPS’s decision this should be a simple matter especially as they are citing the Freedom of Information Act (FoIA). Why is justice and ‘openness’ always a fight in the UK?

There’s a risk with being patient and polite as agencies often misinterpret this and perceive it as passivity. In January 2012, I wrote requesting research access to an old murder case that took place in 1994 and included a standard research plan. An explanation and rationale was also made clear as to why I was writing a book to set the record straight and to provide an opportunity for those affected to state what they have gone through. It is a piece of work in the public interest.

It has a personal special interest for me as one of the most seriously injured to survive the arson attack in which approximately thirteen men were murdered. My wish is to dispense of the rubbish I have read and heard from Wikipedia to YouTube. As mentioned, I remain interested in those that may wish to comment about what the violent legacy has left for them. No one no agency came willingly to help other than the police. Naturally, I am not going to impose myself or do anything uncouth as the gutter media did at the time, or at the Old Bailey trial, and crash into private grief. But, there may be some including emergency services that wish to be offered a voice and be heard.

I got an email response from the MPS that kindly included all my letters with confidential data still included as though I don’t know what I’ve written or my date of birth! The Freedom of Information Act Exemptions (FoIA) were cited for rejecting my request. I exercised my right to challenge this unreasonable decision and one month on my follow-up request for an update to my complaint has been repeatedly been ignored. Silence winter, spring and summer is approaching!

The case is closed, the arsonist died in prison and it was over a decade ago so what is it that makes the MPS so obstructive? It simply is not good enough and will not do! My book title is simple – Burn.

The MPS is not improving, it remains insular and institutionally belligerent forgetting it is a public service and as we see daily, and depressingly, in the Leveson Inquiry an institution mired in its alleged conduct with News International. Makes me recall a line from Macbeth: ” … All causes shall give way. I am in blood steeped so far that, should I wade no more …”

So what to do? if I can walk through fire I’m sure I do not need to be glued to the mediocrity of the MPS! I don’t know any media moguls so I think I will put a call out here now and for documentary film-makers and make a film instead. Any film makers do make yourselves known!! A story is waiting to be told about a mass violent loss of life. It’s much more than about the sex venue, it is about what happened to all those people afterwards who were affected. May be there may be people wishing to talk about the legacy of carnage ….

In south London last week yet another teenager was stabbed to death for no reason like all the other killings over the recent year. Why are our black young people compelled to continue to annihilate one another with such vicious and barbaric acts of murder? These people are still children using stabbings and shootings like a perverse children’s game that has gone horribly wrong with no sense of self-worth or social accountability. They are emerging as a growing generation that is outcast and unable to function within society and yet they will be our future

This latest slaying in a disastrous futile game of machismo happened in the week our new Justice Secretary, The Rt Hon Kenneth Clarke announced in a talk given to the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies, (London), the end of the era of long prison sentence policies – ‘’ bang ‘em up’’ introduced by the conservatives in the 1990s. He also offered no alterative solution however! Clearly his statements and those made later by the prime minister have much more to do with government cuts than making society safer and genuine restorative justice. Our society has an over-burdened prison population for a reason that reflects the core problems facing Britain. What will effectively be done with the growing breed of young killers and the other disaffected violent generation.